Episode 50 - When Men Make It About Them: How Centering Hijacks Women’s Stories

A listener shares a raw, deeply personal story of disclosing marital rape and how her partner’s reaction turned the moment into his own emotional drama. In this episode, we break down why men so often center themselves when women share trauma: from protector fantasies and fragile masculinity to the social conditioning that teaches women to soothe male discomfort. We unpack the psychology behind emotional hijacking, the caregiver reflex survivors fall into, and what true support actually sounds like. This episode isn’t about blame. It’s about awareness. About how “I can’t handle this” silences survivors, and how staying present, listening, and believing can literally change lives.